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Christian Biblical Church of God
Post Office Box 1442
Hollister, California 95024-1442
(831)-637-1875
Fred R. Coulter
Minister
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June 17, 2008
Dear Brethren,
The new Bibles are on their
way by cargo ship from China!
The shipment should
arrive in Oakland, California, within 2-3 weeks--around late June or
early July. Once they clear customs, our importer, Sea Model,
will deliver the Bibles to ADMAIL, a company specializing in mass
mailings. ADMAIL will "double box" each order to assure that you'll
receive your Bible(s) in pristine condition. As you know, the Bible
project has seen several delays--but only because we set such a high
standard of quality (as is befitting the Word of God).
However, once you hold the new
Bible in your hands, we know you will be very pleased. Your
beautiful, high-quality, genuine lambskin-covered Bible will be well
worth the wait. Thank you for your patience and support in
making the Bible Project a reality.
Because the value of the dollar has
plunged since the beginning of the printing and manufacturing
process, it is fortunate that we had fully pre-paid for the Bibles.
Otherwise, the devalued dollar would have driven the cost up
considerably.
Elders' Conference:
We had an excellent Elders' Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio,
May 14-17. All of the elders and their wives were present: Glenn and
Phyllis Daniel, Bob and Elaine Hunnicutt,
Wayne and Sylvia Stenhouse, Norbert and
Denise Bohnert, Marlin and Nancy
Fannin, Roger and
Emy Kendall, and Anse and Ella
Mae Cates. Jim and Betty Hyles
attended as well, along with six other leading men and their wives.
In this mailing, we are sending several of the elders' presentations
so you will have an "inside view" of the conference. Because of a
poor quality recording with missing portions, the only meeting we
are not sending out is the one in which each elder gave a
report about his local area.
The Purpose of the Ministry of
Jesus Christ:
It is no coincidence that before His ministry Jesus' occupation was
carpentry--which in His day involved building with wood, timbers,
concrete, iron and stone. As a carpenter, Jesus was undoubtedly
involved in every aspect of building--from conception and planning to
stone cutting and laying, including the "finishing" work. It is
rigorous work constructing four-story stone block buildings such as
those in the nearby city of
Sepphoris.
(If you do not have the book Jesus & the Forgotten City,
write us and we will send you one.)
Early in His ministry--after Peter
declared Him to be "the Christ"--Jesus said to His disciples that
He would build His Church. Matthew writes: "And Jesus answered
and said to him, `Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona,
for flesh and blood did not reveal it to you, but My Father,
Who is in heaven. And I say also to you, that you are
Peter [a little stone, John 1:42]; but upon this Rock [Jesus Christ
Himself is the Rock (I Cor. 10:4)] I
will build [oiko-domeso]
My church, and the gates of the
grave shall not prevail against it' " (Matt. 16:17-18).
The Greek verb for "build" is
oiko-domeo, meaning "to erect a
building, to build." As we will see, the verb is elsewhere
translated, "to edify, to build up (such as godly character), to
encourage" (Berry, Greek-English New Testament Lexicon).
In addition, this verb forms the root for "steward."
According to the apostle Paul,
the work of an elder in the Church is to serve the brethren in love
and to feed the flock of God--to up-build
the brethren so they may be prepared for eternal life. The last
time Paul saw the elders of Ephesus, he recounted to them his
ministry and admonished them concerning their responsibilities to
faithfully serve God and the brethren: "For Paul had decided
to sail by Ephesus, because he did not want to spend time in Asia;
for he hastened in order to be in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost,
if possible. Now from Miletus, he sent
to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. And when
they had come to him, he said to them, `You know how, from the first
day I came to Asia, and all the time I was with you, I served
the Lord with all humility and with many tears and
temptations, which came upon me through the plots of the Jews;
and how I did not keep back anything that was profitable, but
preached to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house,
earnestly testifying, both to the Jews and the Greeks,
repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
" `And now behold, I am bound in the
spirit, and am going to Jerusalem, not knowing the things
that shall happen to me there; except that the Holy Spirit fully
testifies in every city, saying that bonds and tribulations await
me. But I myself do not take any of these things into
account, nor do I hold my life dear to myself, so that I might
finish my course with joy, and the ministry that I received from
the Lord Jesus, to fully testify [of] the gospel of the grace of God.
And now behold, I know that you all, among whom I have gone about
proclaiming the kingdom of God, will see my face no more;
wherefore I testify to you on this day that I am pure from the blood
of all, for I have not held back from preaching to you all the
counsel of God.
" `Take
heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the
Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which
He purchased with His own blood. For I know this: that after my
departure grievous wolves will come in among you, not sparing the
flock; and from among
your own selves men will rise up speaking perverse things to draw
away disciples after themselves.
Watch, therefore, remembering that for three years I ceased
not to admonish each one night and day with tears' " (Acts
20:16-31).
The truth is, all the brethren belong to
God the Father and Jesus Christ--not to any man! Elders and
ministers are to always keep this fact in the forefront of their
minds, because Jesus Christ has purchased each one with His
own blood.
In his epistle to the Ephesians in 61 AD from Rome, Paul clearly
states that the purpose of the ministry is to perfect the saints and
up-build, or edify, the body of Christ: "And He gave
some as apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists;
and some, pastors and teachers [all of these are functions of
elders--not "exalted offices" through which ministers are to rule
over God's people]. For the perfecting of the saints, for
the work of the ministry, for the edifying of
the body of Christ; until we all come into the unity of the faith
and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto
the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
so that we no longer be children, tossed and carried about with
every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men in cunning
craftiness, with a view to the systematizing of the error; but
holding the truth in love, may in all things grow up into Him Who is
the Head, even Christ from Whom all the body, fitly
framed and compacted together by that which every joint
supplies, according to its inner working in the
measure of each individual part, is making the increase of the
body unto the edifying of itself in love" (Eph. 4:11-16).
All the apostles understood this, as evidenced by the apostle
Peter's admonition to the elders to serve the brethren and be
examples of loving, righteous conduct--but not as overlords! "The
elders who are among you I exhort, even as a fellow elder,
and an eyewitness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker
of the glory that is about to be revealed.
Feed the flock of God that is among you, exercising
oversight not by compulsion, but willingly; not in fondness of
dishonest gain, but with an eager attitude; not
as exercising lordship over your possessions; but by
being examples to the flock of God. And when the Chief
Shepherd is manifested, you shall receive an unfading, eternal
crown of glory" (I Pet. 5:1-4).
There is no question that Paul and Peter always followed the
teachings of Jesus--as did the other apostles--and understood that
they were not to exercise lordship over the brethren. Notice
Jesus' direct teaching to the apostles: "Jesus called them to Him
and said, `You know that the rulers of the nations [the
kings and civil rulers] exercise lordship over them, and the
great ones [the religious leaders] exercise authority over
them. However, it shall not be this way among you; but
whoever would become great among you, let him be your servant; and
whoever would be first among you, let him be your slave; just as the
Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His
life as a ransom for many" (Matt. 20:25-28).
Not wanting to come to them with harsh correction, Paul appealed to
the Corinthians to resolve their own problems. He reminded them that
he and the elders did not exercise lordship over them: "But
He Who establishes us with you in Christ, and
Who has anointed us, is God, Who has also
sealed us and has given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. But
I call upon God to bear witness of my intentions, that in order to
spare you I did not yet come to Corinth--not that we exercise
lordship over your faith, but because we are working with you to
increase your joy. For you stand by faith" (II
Cor. 1:21-24).
It is clear that the apostles never established a rigid,
hierarchical government over the Church of God. The top-down form of
government which developed in the Roman Catholic Church is
absolutely contrary to the teachings of the New Testament. Indeed,
throughout the gospels, Jesus taught against the iron-fisted,
intimidating, fear-breeding authority typically exercised by pagan
religious leaders and rulers.
Expressing His hatred for heavy-handed approaches to government,
Christ exposed them as "the doctrine of the
Nicolaitans, which thing I hate" (Rev. 2:15). He warned,
"Repent! For if you do not repent, I will come to
you quickly, and will make war against them with the sword of My
mouth" (verse 16).
Church leaders claiming to be "presiding evangelists" or
self-appointed "apostles" or "prophets"--and who exercise rigid,
pagan, top-down authority over their members--are taking to
themselves a level of authority that Christ, as the Head of the
Church, absolutely forbids! Such leaders are self-exalted,
self-appointed corporate hirelings--religious professionals. Not only
are they sinning against God the Father and Jesus Christ, they bring
fear, intimidation and suffering into the lives of the
brethren--while robbing them of income beyond God's tithe and
offerings.
Such "leaders" deprive their followers of the joy of coming
to know the true love and grace of God--denying them the opportunity
to develop a deep personal relationship with God the Father and
Jesus Christ, wherein they might thrive spiritually in faith, hope
and love.
On the other hand, we are to teach the brethren--which is
feeding the flock of God with the Word of God--so that they might
grow into the perfection of Christ through a personal, direct
relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. As the apostle
John wrote: "That which was from the beginning, that
which we have heard, that which we have seen with our own eyes, that
which we observed for ourselves and our own hands handled,
concerning the Word of life; (And the life was manifested, and we
have seen, and are bearing witness, and are reporting to you the
eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested to us;)
That which we have seen and have heard we are reporting to you in
order that you also may have fellowship with us; for the fellowship--indeed,
our fellowship [our personal relationship]--is with the
Father and with His own Son, Jesus Christ. These things we are
also writing to you, so that your joy may be completely full" (I
John 1:1-4).
Elders are Stewards of God:
Though the term is seldom used today, "steward" primarily means: "One
who acts as a supervisor or administrator, as of finances and
property, for another or others." This is the biblical meaning
as well. A steward always works on behalf of the property owner.
Elders are stewards working with someone else's property--God's
property--the members of the body of Christ, purchased by
Jesus' own blood.
The Greek root
oiki (or oiko)
means "to edify." The following are variations of this root and
their relative meanings:
Oiki-a--a
house, a household, a family, a house and all the goods within it
Oiki-akos--one
of a family, whether a child or a servant
Oiko-domeo--to
erect a building, to build, to build up, to edify
Oiko-domee--the
act of building, a literal building, a spiritual body, of the
church's
edification,
spiritual advancement
Oiko-domia--edification
Oiko-doomos--a
builder
Oiko-nomeo--to
be a steward
Oiko-nomia--management
of household affairs, stewardship
Oiko-nomos--a
household manager, steward; the Christian stewardship
Oikos--a
house, a building, a family residing in a house; a family
perpetuated by succession; the house of God, the temple, the family
of God, the Church of God
(Berry, Greek-English New
Testament Lexicon.)
As we can see, the various meanings
related to the root oiko
all point to the service-oriented ministry of Jesus Christ and the
building up of the Church--so that we all might grow into the
spiritual perfection of Christ. Everything an elder does for God and
the brethren--God's family--is the work of a steward.
Therefore, the leadership is never to "lord it over" God's
people--Jesus Christ alone is Lord over the household of God!
Leaders are never to exploit the brethren to gain power and control!
A steward is to be absolutely
faithful in leading and shepherding the brethren: "So then, let
every man regard us as ministers of Christ and stewards of
the mysteries of God. Beyond that, it is required of stewards
that one be found faithful" (I
Cor. 4:1-2). As stewards of the
household of God, elders are to protect, up-build,
increase, and develop God's people as
they prepare for eternal life. The Church is God's property--it
is not up to the steward to do as he sees fit by implementing his
own ideas and doctrines for his own personal profit and
aggrandizement.
Thus, elders are to always teach
the way of the Lord and preach the truth of God's Word: "Therefore,
having this ministry, according as we have received mercy, we are
not fainthearted. For we have personally renounced the
hidden things of dishonest gain, not walking in cunning
craftiness, nor handling the Word of God deceitfully; but by
manifestation of the truth, we are commending ourselves to every
man's conscience before God. But if our gospel is hidden, it is
hidden to those who are perishing; in whom the god of this world has
blinded the minds of those who do not believe, lest the light of the
gospel of the glory of Christ, Who is the image of God,
should shine unto them. For we
do not preach our own selves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and
ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake because it is
God Who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, Who
shined into our hearts the light of the knowledge of the
glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (II
Cor. 4:1-6).
Notice Paul's instructions to
Titus concerning the qualifications of elders, also called
overseers: "For this cause I left you in Crete, so that
you might set in order the things that needed to be done, and might
ordain elders in every city, as I commanded you: If any man be
blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children,
not accused of debauchery or rebellion. For it is obligatory that
as God's steward an overseer be blameless, not self-willed, not
quick-tempered, not given to wine, not a bully, not greedy for
material gain; but hospitable, a lover of good, sound-minded,
just, holy, self-controlled, holding steadfastly to the faithful
word, according to the teachings of Jesus Christ, so that
he may be able both to encourage with sound doctrine and to convict
those who are gainsayers" (Titus 1:5-9).
Elders are stewards of God's Word,
and must be diligent to teach and preach, to watch over and guard,
and faithfully divide the truth of God. Paul instructs Timothy: "Diligently
study to show yourself approved
unto God, a workman who does not need to be ashamed, rightly
dividing the Word of the truth; but avoid profane and vain
babblings because they will only give rise to more
ungodliness.... Preach the Word! Be urgent in season and out of
season; convict, rebuke, encourage, with all patience and doctrine"
(II Tim. 2:15-16; 4:2).
Furthermore, true Christians are
stewards of the Holy Spirit! God has entrusted us with His spirit in
order to empower us to grow in grace and knowledge--to enable us to
develop and use our individual talents and abilities to serve the
brethren. This is our part in up-building the
body of Christ in brotherly love. Notice Peter's instructions: "Let
each one, according as he has received a gift from God, be using
it to serve the others as good stewards of the
grace of God which manifests itself in various ways"
(I Pet. 4:10).
Jesus Christ is the Master
Steward over the entire household of God for the Father. Jesus is
the Head of the Church and leads us in grace and knowledge so that
we might grow and develop the godly character necessary for eternal
life. Paul expresses it this way--using related Greek words sharing
the same oiko root: "Now
when He came, He preached the gospel--peace to you who were
far off and to those who were near. For through Him we both
have direct access by one Spirit to the Father. So then, you
are no longer aliens and foreigners; but you are fellow
citizens with the saints, and are of the household [oikei-oi]
of God.
"You are being built up on the
foundation of the apostles and prophets [NT as well as OT], Jesus
Christ Himself being the chief Cornerstone. In
Whom all the building [oiko-dome],
being conjointly fitted together, is increasing into a holy temple
in the Lord; in Whom you also are being built together [sun-oiko-dmeisthe]
for a habitation [kat-oike-rion]
of God in the Spirit" (Eph. 2:17-22).
These verses emphasize that we are
to be faithful stewards of all that God has generously given to
us--our physical bodies and material possessions, our families and
brethren, the Holy Spirit, our personal relationship with the Father
and Jesus Christ. We accomplish this through daily prayer and study
as we live God's way of life. This is how Jesus Christ is
building His Church and dealing with each one of us individually
in His love.
(For more on the subject of godly leadership, please call, write or
e-mail us for a copy of the booklet Is the Ministry the
Government of God?)
Pentecost:
Because of the many biblical events connected with Pentecost--the
beginning of the visible return of Jesus Christ and the first
resurrection--I have again presented a series of sermons and studies
showing in great detail why the Feast of Pentecost pictures
the first resurrection (rather than the Feast of Trumpets). After
going through these sermons and studies, you will clearly see that
the return of Jesus Christ will be awesome--literally a heaven- and
earth-shaking event. Everyone alive at that time will witness these
events unfold. I hope that you fully understand these studies;
if you have any questions, please send them in and we will do our
best to answer them.
If you do not yet have the Daniel
and Revelation series (with charts), please request it. Also, if
you do not yet have the book God's Plan for Mankind Revealed by
His Sabbath and Holy Days--with its accompanying set of four CDs
containing 38 sermons and studies--you may request it as well. If you
already have this material, please study it thoroughly; you will
come to a greater comprehension of God's plan as it is based on the
framework of His seventh-day Sabbath and holy days.
All of the brethren who have
contacted us--whether they kept Pentecost with a small fellowship
group or at home--reported that they had a tremendous Feast of
Firstfruits! Amazingly, each year we
continue to learn more and more about the meaning and fulfillment of
God's holy days and feasts. It is a fact that God's holy days
are the most important keys which unlock the understanding of
prophecy. Always remember, however, that while prophecy is certainly
exciting, it is nothing without the love of God. Paul writes of this
in I Corinthians 13: "If I speak with the tongues of men and
of angels, but do not have love, I have become a sounding brass or a
clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of
prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I
have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I
am nothing. And if I give away all my goods, and if I
deliver up my body that I may be burned, but do not have love, I
have gained nothing.
"Love is patient and is kind; love envies not, does not brag
about itself, is not puffed up.
Love does not behave disgracefully, does not seek its own
things, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil, does not rejoice in
iniquity, but rejoices in the truth.
Love
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,
endures all things. Love never
fails. But whether there be
prophecies, they shall cease; whether there be languages,
they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish
away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part; but when
that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part shall be
set aside.
"When I was a child, I spoke as a
child, I understood as a child, I reasoned as a child; but when I
became a man, I set aside the things of a child. For now we see
through a glass darkly, but then we shall see face to face;
now I know in part, but then I shall know exactly as I have been
known. And now, these three remain: faith, hope and love; but
the greatest of these is love" (I
Cor. 13:1-13).
The Economic Problems of the World
The entire world is facing mammoth
economic problems caused by rapidly escalating gas and commodities
prices. The inflation factor in oil, gas, natural gas, corn, wheat,
rice and other grains is running between 70% to
250% annually. This will cause the price of everything
to rise dramatically--and the effects will be felt worldwide. There
are many so-called "factors" fueling this extreme inflation. Experts
and analysts are blaming the devaluation of the U.S. dollar, the
limited supply of oil, and the increasing demand for petroleum
products--plus the fact that emerging countries are demanding more
and more fuel and commodities as they take on the American way of
life. The number one culprit that appears to have triggered the
overall economic situation is the failure of millions of sub-prime
mortgages--now referred to as "toxic waste loans" because they are
only worth pennies on the dollar. And yet, the trillion-dollar
sub-prime meltdown is not over!
Unfortunately, the unprecedented
rescue attempts by the Federal Reserve Bank in the United States in
providing 700 billion dollars in emergency loans to the failing
investment banks and hedge funds, etc., is actually fueling
the inflationary pressures ravaging the entire commodities market
worldwide.
Why is this happening? Perhaps the
main reason is that these institutions are not using
the monies loaned to them at 2% by the Fed--funds loaned under
the emergency lending law to hold as capital to offset such failed
sub-prime loans. Rather, they are using this virtually free money
from the Fed to speculate in the commodities futures market,
where they purchase future contracts for 5 cents on the dollar. In
effect, they are using this money to drive up the prices of
commodities in order to make additional hundreds of billions in
profits to replace their billions in losses from failed
loans. Thus, they are forcing all nations--in fact, the entire
world's population--to dig deeper into their pockets to pay these
artificially high commodity prices so they can reap huge profits of
billions and billions of dollars.
The question is: Will they stop such
predatory practices before the entire world economy collapses? They
probably will. However, they will also continue to make money as
they in turn reinvest these profits back into the commodities market
as they cause the markets to go lower. Thus, they make
billions as the price of everything rises and they make additional
billions as the price of everything goes down. Then they will take
these combined profits and invest them into the stock market. Again,
whether the market goes up or the market goes down, they make
billions.
Brethren, we are all personally
affected by the higher prices. This is why we have stressed for the
last five or more years that we need to be preparing for economic
hardship--primarily by GETTING OUT OF DEBT as much as possible.
We have to trust in God the Father
and Jesus Christ to watch over us. We must also be "wise as serpents
and harmless as doves"--so we can endure these hard times.
Brethren, we pray for you every
day--for God's blessings, for your protection, for your healing, for
you to grow in grace and knowledge. We also pray for the entire
greater Church of God, that the brethren and ministers will repent
and draw close to God, that God will use His people and ministers to
truly preach the gospel. We thank you for your love, prayers and
continued support through your tithes and offerings. May God's love
and grace be upon you in everything.
With love in Christ Jesus,
Fred R. Coulter
FRC
Additional Tips for Marking Your
New Bible
Like Bible study itself, marking one's Bible is highly personal. And
while there is no single "right" way to mark your Bible, there are
practical tips which can prove helpful.
First, it is not disrespectful to God to mark your Bible.
Marking one's Bible is a natural part of study--and, when done with
care, actually demonstrates your love and respect for God's Word.
So, don't be afraid to mark your
Bible!
1) Help your eye fall quickly on passages that are important to
The key here is to make certain verses, phrases or words stand
out--so you'll quickly find them. You might choose to underline
such passages or color them (or both). You might also consider
putting a key word or abbreviation in the margin. For
example, after underlining or coloring Ephesians 4:30, you might
boldly write HS (for "Holy Spirit") in the margin.
Use underlining to separate a chapter into logical divisions. For
example, you might use a bold (or colored) line to separate each of
the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20. This gives you the layout of the
chapter at a glance.
Remember, mark only the most important
passages. And rather than marking entire verses, consider
underlining or coloring key words and phrases that bring out the
meaning of a passage. If you mark too much, you could end up with a
confusing hodgepodge of markings where nothing really stands out.
Keep it simple and avoid over-marking!
This simple use of coloring works best with just one color (such as
red). Other methods which employ many colors are more involved (see
below). Use a small flexible ruler to help you underline. Caution: A
pen will sometimes leave a line of ink on the ruler's edge, which
will smear onto the page as you pull the ruler away.
Alternatively, many people choose to use a mechanical pencil
so they can erase.
2) Add notes in the margin to explain specific words or phrases.
Again, don't get carried away. Save the margins of your Bible for
brief comments that help explain the marked passage--or for
definitions of words, names, etc. that you've marked.
There is no need to state the obvious or write what you "know you
know."
Keep your margin notes straight by writing along the top edge of a
small ruler.
3) Create cross-references or links to related passages.
One of the best things about marking your Bible is creating your own
cross-references. Such references allow you to quickly find numerous
passages that are related by subject. Here's a method that has
worked well for many:
First, choose and mark a "home" passage for a particular subject.
For example, the "home" verse for "Sabbath" might be Genesis 2:3 or
Exodus 20:8. It should be a key passage you'll easily
remember (to help, you can index these "home" verses on a blank
page). This "home" passage is your starting point.
Next, in the margin next to the "home" passage, list several
references to other key passages dealing with the Sabbath.
Then, at each of these references, you can list other related
passages. This method links references on a particular subject
throughout the Bible.
And don't overlook the references already provided in the center
column; simply mark or underline the ones important to you so
they'll catch your eye.
The multi-color system
In this method, each subject has its own particular color.
Start by creating an "index" page (perhaps on a blank page in your
Bible or on a card). This index links a specific subject to a
specific color. For example, passages relating to the Sabbath could
be colored blue.
You can color the entire passage--or better,
draw a colored line around or along the side of the passage. Or use
the color to underline key words and phrases. Later, when you're
searching for passages about the Sabbath, you simply look for
blue.
The multi-color system does have significant drawbacks. First, the
number of available colors is limited--yet there are dozens of
subjects you'll want to mark. Secondly, some passages could easily
fall under more than one subject heading. Which color would you use?
Finally, some find that the complexity of such a system actually
hinders study. And if you're not careful, you may find that some
pages of your Bible are starting to look more like a coloring book!
Pens, pencils, markers--which brand is
When considering various pens, pencils and markers, do this first:
test the pen or marker on a page in the back of your Bible.
Most Bible book stores will let you test pens and markers in the
store before you buy them--so ask!
What to avoid: Sharpies (too dark, will bleed through);
regular highlighters (will bleed through); mechanical pencils with
lead that is too soft (the graphite will eventually smudge
and fade); mechanical pencils with lead that is too hard (may
cut into the paper).
Most ball point, roller point and felt tip pens will bleed through
in varying degrees. Also, the ink itself can run if exposed to
moisture (unlike India ink).
Recommended: Highlighters made for Bible marking (such
as Zebrite by Zebra); dry
highlighters (such as made by Staedtler;
they're like colored pencils, but have a bright fluorescent look).
For regular colored pencils, try Crayola
or Berol
Prismacolor. Good pens include the Zebra-301 Ultra ball
point, the Bic Writing Stick, and the
Bic Accounting Pen. Fine points are
recommended, but you may prefer a medium. Technical pens are also
available (which typically use India ink). A Zebra
Millipen or a Pigma
Micron are both good choices (a 01 point
is about medium). GT Luscombe also makes
a good dry highlighter and non-bleeding pen.
All of the above are widely available at Bible book stores, Office
Max, art supply stores, etc. You may also try
www.internationalbibles.com or Christian Book Distributors (CBD) at
1-800-Christian (www.christianbook.com).
Again--if possible, test the pen or marker in the store first.
Finally, many people like to use small Post-It Notes to mark
passages or add non-permanent notes to their Bibles.
--Philip Neal
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